In June of 2017 I was praying through what the Lord had been doing in my life over the past several years. I was working on several fronts. Meeting with men on a regular basis here in the US, and I still am, and also working with the pastor in Morocco, some men in Russia, some church planters in Nepal, a pastor in Pakistan, and a pastor in Uganda.
At the same time I was working with some groups here in an attempt to engage the members of those groups in a more personal and abiding relationship with the Word of God.
Working through that it became obvious that those in Africa, Nepal, et al were responding differently to the Word than those here. There was a hunger in the other countries that was not present here. There are many exceptions to this, there are men here who are ravenous, but the numbers are skewed to the other countries.
I was talking to the leader of an international organization about this and he had made a similar observation. I had recently met with a man who when seeing new things in the Word was not at all moved, excited, or either over or under whelmed. It was just “meh.” In contrast those with whom I had had the privilege to work overseas were excited about what they were seeing in the Word.
In talking through this with my friend he characterized it as arrogance. “I know all that. That came up years ago. That is nothing new.” I suggested that it was passivity. As I consider the conversation, it occurs to me that passivity is a subset or an effect of arrogance. I don’t need the Word or what it tells me about God so I am not moved by it.
It is difficult to comprehend that when faced with the revelation of the creator of the universe, the one who holds all things together, the one whom apart from Him nothing exists, that one would react passively to Him or His Word does seem to indicate extreme arrogance.
Working through that it became obvious that those in Africa, Nepal, et al were responding differently to the Word than those here. There was a hunger in the other countries that was not present here. There are many exceptions to this, there are men here who are ravenous, but the numbers are skewed to the other countries.
I was talking to the leader of an international organization about this and he had made a similar observation. I had recently met with a man who when seeing new things in the Word was not at all moved, excited, or either over or under whelmed. It was just “meh.” In contrast those with whom I had had the privilege to work overseas were excited about what they were seeing in the Word.
In talking through this with my friend he characterized it as arrogance. “I know all that. That came up years ago. That is nothing new.” I suggested that it was passivity. As I consider the conversation, it occurs to me that passivity is a subset or an effect of arrogance. I don’t need the Word or what it tells me about God so I am not moved by it.
It is difficult to comprehend that when faced with the revelation of the creator of the universe, the one who holds all things together, the one whom apart from Him nothing exists, that one would react passively to Him or His Word does seem to indicate extreme arrogance.
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